Are any of Future World pavilions better now than when they opened?

[999th Happy Haunt]

Struck me the other day that pretty much everything in Future World (save for maybe The Land and Test Track, depending on your preference) was better 30 years ago. I didn’t get to experience the classic EPCOT attractions so am I just imagining a utopian period or is this really the case?

 

[KaliSplash]

mmm, probably a matter of preferences. I preferred the Cronkite version of Spaceship Earth with Tommorow's Child as you returned to the bottom. I also preferred the original version of the Living Seas. As much as I liked Kitchen Kaberet or Food Rocks, the overall experience at the land is better today. Journey Into Imagination was best with the original ride and the Captain Eo 3-D film. the Ellen and Bill Nye version of the Universe of Energy was better than the original. The Wonders of Life was better than whatever the Play Place will be. Mission:Space is definitely better than Horizons, as much as I liked Horizons. Ditto Test Track

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

mmm, probably a matter of preferences. I preferred the Cronkite version of Spaceship Earth with Tommorow's Child as you returned to the bottom. I also preferred the original version of the Living Seas. As much as I liked Kitchen Kaberet or Food Rocks, the overall experience at the land is better today. Journey Into Imagination was best with the original ride and the Captain Eo 3-D film. the Ellen and Bill Nye version of the Universe of Energy was better than the original. The Wonders of Life was better than whatever the Play Place will be. Mission:Space is definitely better than Horizons, as much as I liked Horizons. Ditto Test Track

You lost me at Mission Space

 

[InnKpr]

The two that come to mind for me are:

Soarin' > Kitchen Kabaret
Test Track > WoM

Those two pavilions are superior in modern times than they were during classic Epcot Center days (imo).
Nothing against Kitchen or WoM. I did enjoy those older attractions for what they were.

 

[marni1971]

The American Adventure. On a good day.

 

[Goofy213]

Original TT was better than Tron Track. But I still enjoyed the original WoM, better. TT has the trills and excitement, but the original WoM was so much more entertaining. The way the ride spiraled up giving views to Future World East before entering the building, to all of the visual sight gags, and finally who could ever get "It's Fun To Be Free" out of their head after riding. Even the post show area was great. They actually had experimental cars and prototypes instead of a mini dealership trying to sell you a truck you could buy at the local Chevy dealership. Epcot is about progress and what the future could hold, to get there we have to look to the past and see where we can improve our society for the better. Don't get me wrong I love a good thrill ride, but when they dull it down to a giant black box with some neon lights video game you have lost my attention. It's sad to see so much potential go to waste. Bring back the past, because "It's fun to be free."

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

What’s the criteria for “better”. Is it the pavilion and it’s upkeep? Overall options? The dining options? The food quality of the dining options? The entertainment options (ride and/or performers)?

From an optics and options perspective I could make a case for Japan. Maybe Germany with the extension. Possibly America with the new BBQ place. Maybe even Morocco with the addition of Spice Road.

But they can all be offset by the discontinuation of other aspects of the respective pavilions. With the addition of the new area of the France pavilion it may also help to improve the overall feel of that pavilion.

I think though you’d find the overall consensus is that the food quality has gone down considerably and is in no way even close to being considered remotely better.

But it’s a lot easier to get a beer now - than it was 35 years ago - so there’s that.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Agree with The Land. Soarin' is much better than Kitchen Cabaret, which itself was vastly superior to Food Rocks (it looked like the entire budget went to musical licensing).

The Sea with Nemo and Friends is an improvement over The Living Seas, but only because the original attraction was pretty dull.

Actually, the only pavillions that I think are markedly worse now are Imagination and those that are flat-out closed.

 

[Heppenheimer]

What’s the criteria for “better”. Is it the pavilion and it’s upkeep? Overall options? The dining options? The food quality of the dining options? The entertainment options (ride and/or performers)?

From an optics and options perspective I could make a case for Japan. Maybe Germany with the extension. Possibly America with the new BBQ place. Maybe even Morocco with the addition of Spice Road.

But they can all be offset by the discontinuation of other aspects of the respective pavilions. With the addition of the new area of the France pavilion it may also help to improve the overall feel of that pavilion.

I think though you’d find the overall consensus is that the food quality has gone down considerably and is in no way even close to being considered remotely better.

But it’s a lot easier to get a beer now - than it was 35 years ago - so there’s that.

I would argue that the food quality at the table service restaurants has declined, particularly in the World Showcase, but the counter service food has mostly improved.

 

[rct247]

The Land & American Adventure.

There are some aspects of The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Test Track, France, and Morocco that have improved, but up for debate.

Clearly the one that is worse is Imagination. I think it's also a shame we have lost many along the way too like Wonders of Life.

 

[Goofyernmost]

mmm, probably a matter of preferences. I preferred the Cronkite version of Spaceship Earth with Tommorow's Child as you returned to the bottom. I also preferred the original version of the Living Seas. As much as I liked Kitchen Kaberet or Food Rocks, the overall experience at the land is better today. Journey Into Imagination was best with the original ride and the Captain Eo 3-D film. the Ellen and Bill Nye version of the Universe of Energy was better than the original. The Wonders of Life was better than whatever the Play Place will be. Mission:Space is definitely better than Horizons, as much as I liked Horizons. Ditto Test Track

I have to agree with most of what you said. I can't judge Wonders of Life's replacement until it actually exists and I think Captain EO stunk to high heaven. Honey I shrunk the Audience was far better. Horizons was good, but really was something the you could see two, maybe three times before it got boring. I've never been bored with Mission Space. Either side! The land became interesting as soon as Soarin' showed up. I have to be honest though that as much as I loved Journey into Imagination it was the beginning section with Dreamfinder and Figment and fascinated me. The rest became boring after a while. Cronkite was great in Spaceship earth and Walter had an ability to tell you that there was an atomic bomb in your basement and make you feel like everything will be OK. "And that's the was it is...."

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The Land is better now than it was during the late 90s and 2000s, but we still lost the big indoor fountain and I would prefer Kitchen Kabaret over Soarin'. It was one of those "they'll never make this again" things, and amusing for what it was.

Test Track 2.0 is better than the original for not looking as industrial (aka sterile and unfinished).

Mission: Space is also better than when it opened, thanks to Orange and Green now being truly different experiences and the restaurant making it feel more like a pavilion and less like a ride with a small gift shop.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Definitely enjoyed the older style Test Track and Soarin. And I miss the Living Seas with the Hydrolator.

 

[Chicken Guy]

I contend that Italy is better after the addition of Via Napoli. They serve up some pretty great pizza, and not much else has changed at that pavilion besides the operations of the traditional Italian restaurant there.

 

[HongKongFooy]

I'd take Nemo's Living Seas over the days of 'hydrolators'.


A $450 million Energy redo with its misplaced theme will rip Ellen a new one. Ellen was embarrassingly corny and lacked repeatability. Groot runs a sporting chance of being best attraction on property.....we'll see.


The Land '........so Land started off OK then got a huge lift with Soarin' then crashed with something warped and now it's just plain Borin'.


World of Motion was executed in great Disney tradition and I miss it but TT is more fun.


Horizons please!

 

[HongKongFooy]

I contend that Italy is better after the addition of Via Napoli.

Outstanding pizza........

 

[NelleBelle]

Bring back the old Soarin'!

 

[Little Green Men]

SSE
The Land
Test Track
Nemo
Mexico
Norway
America
France

 

[AdventureHasAName]

Only The Land ... and it's close to a wash.

Good = Soarin', Symbiosis gone
Bad = No Kitchen Kabaret, Listen to the Land was superior to current version, the Fountain removed, food court tables everywhere

Every other Future World pavilion is severely diminished.

 

[HarperRose]

IMO, the original TT and Soarin' were better than the newer versions.